AUTHOR=Sapountzis Panagiotis , de Verges Jane , Rousk Kathrin , Cilliers Magdeleen , Vorster Barend J. , Poulsen Michael 

TITLE=Potential for Nitrogen Fixation in the Fungus-Growing Termite Symbiosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01993

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Termites host a gut microbiota of diverse and essential symbionts that enable specialization on dead plant material; an abundant, but nutritionally imbalanced food source. To supplement the severe shortage of dietary nitrogen (N), some termite species make use of diazotrophic bacteria to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>). Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) host a fungal exosymbiont (genus <italic>Termitomyces</italic>) that provides digestive services and the main food source for the termites. This has been thought to obviate the need for N<sub>2</sub>-fixation by bacterial symbionts. Here, we challenge this notion by performing acetylene reduction assays of live colony material to show that N<sub>2</sub> fixation is present in two major genera (<italic>Macrotermes</italic> and <italic>Odontotermes</italic>) of fungus-growing termites. We compare and discuss fixation rates in relation to those obtained from other termites, and suggest avenues of research that may lead to a better understanding of N<sub>2</sub> fixation in fungus-growing and other termites.</p>